Despite the underwhelming response received from council during Monday's delegation, the Burnaby Arts Council is still moving forward in hopes of making a new state-of-the-art facility a reality.
Arts council director Irene McCutcheon and vice-president Brian Daniel appeared before city council on June 17 and made their case for a new art gallery - something they have been waiting for since 1973.
McCutcheon, who is an artist herself, said she was disappointed by some of the responses that came from council but was overall appreciative of the outcome.
"I think it went very well. They were very considerate of us, really," she said. "We were able to answer some of the things that needed to be answered about all the sports facilities and a sense of balance between the arts and sports in community life."
Councillors Sav Dhaliwal and Pietro Calendino said the city was meeting the needs of the arts community, and that a new art gallery would burden the taxpayers.
"It's a hurdle," McCutcheon said. "Always trying to think of where the best place to spend the money is - really the arts are another part of our human being, and we really need to foster that, either in music, drama, dance art - in this case we're wanting to get another art gallery. After that, we should have a civic theatre too."
Although the group is going back to the drawing board and strategizing its next move, McCutcheon said they'd like to start building relationships with the business community.
"We'd like to meet with the Burnaby Board of Trade and get business on our side," she said. "We haven't approached them on it, it's in the plans. It'll be much like the presentation we gave to council, it's all set so we can do it again."
McCutcheon noted that Burnaby isn't the only city with a group pushing for a new art gallery. West Vancouver, New Westminster and Vancouver are all hoping for new digs to showcase international and local exhibitions.
"We're really wanting a new art gallery up at (Metrotown) Civic Square and the reason for that is it has the most traffic in the area," she added. "A lot of growth will be taking place there, a lot of shopping. . It's a real hub to put the art gallery in.
"How many people know where the (current) Burnaby Art Gallery is?"
President of the arts council, Bill Thomson, echoed McCutcheon's sentiments.
Bill Thomson, president of the arts council, was present at the council meeting on Monday but was not part of the delegation.
He said council's response didn't surprise him.
"It was a bit predictable, perhaps," he said. "We heard these words from council previously. It seems to be, from (Dhaliwal) that the status quo is OK for us, not that he wouldn't be open to change, but no one on council seems to be willing to pick up the flag and lobby for the cause."
Thomson said he does appreciate where council is coming from, but that there has to be another way to get money for a new facility - other than getting subsidies as Calendino suggested at the meeting.
"We're not trying to hit the guilt button," he said. "But after 40 years of people suggesting this idea, maybe if we have more imagination and creativity that it'll actually benefit the city to invest in."
Thomson said the group's strategy is a work in progress.
"There's a lot of different issues running through this," he said. "Somehow, we feel that historically the pendulum has swung too much toward sports and recreation areas and less toward culture."
Thomson also said he wants to know the city's long-term plan for culture and art.
Dave Ellenwood, Burnaby's director of parks, recreation and cultural services, said the new art gallery would mean a big bill for the city.
"Council and (the parks, recreation and cultural services community) commission admire the passion of the new gallery advocacy group, and I share that opinion," Ellenwood said in an email to the NOW. "As some councillors have expressed to them already, it is, however, a very expensive proposition for taxpayers to foot the bill for a new gallery."
Ellenwood said many community members request new facilities all the time, and the city has a vast range of them to operate, maintain and budget for.
"So we have to consider the request within this context, which is likely why council has not moved forward on a new gallery," he said. "I also think our staff do a great job exhibiting the collection in the existing facility and at our libraries, and we will work to get the collection shown more often in more locations throughout Burnaby in future."
But one thing they can all side on is not knowing why or how the art gallery never became a reality, after receiving so much support and feasibility plans in the '70s and '90s.
Ellenwood said it could be related to the changing councils and shifting priorities.
Otherwise, the advocacy group intends to push forward for a new gallery amidst the numerous recreational and sports facilities.
McCutcheon said she doesn't understand the imbalance between sports and the art in Burnaby.
"It's not going to cost that much to build an art gallery is it?" she said, when comparing costs of other multi-million dollar facilities in the city. "Operational costs, they seem to dive into that a lot. All our fields, all our sports centres all need to be maintained. No one considers that a cost like they do an art gallery. I don't understand that imbalance."
